Graduate scheme: 2005 - 2007
Current role: Traffic Design Engineer

I completed a BSc in Mathematics at St. Andrews University and from my University experience I identified particular aspects that I would like in my chosen career. I wanted a varied role which would allow me to incorporate my analytical background with an interest in computer aided design. It was also important that I would not be cooped up in an office. The graduate position within Siemens Traffic ticked all the boxes and the associated graduate scheme guaranteed continued learning and support to develop as an employee.

My job involves being associated with traffic signal design. From receiving the initial enquiry from local authorities, developers or consultancies, we prepare quotes and offer letters. We complete initial site surveys before carrying out any design work and use industry standard traffic signal evaluation programs to look at capacity analysis and generate technical reports and recommendations.

Traffic signal designs use AutoCAD and we liaise with customers and local authorities to gain approvals for the design work. We also prepare the traffic controller specifications for signalised junctions and the information necessary for them to operate not only efficiently but safely as well.

Siemens place a huge importance on their graduates and therefore there is a lot of support if you want it but you are given real responsibilities from day one. We receive training in areas like team building, project management, customer focus and communication.

These courses are held all over the country at various Siemens businesses which means you get to visit other locations and meet graduates from diverse backgrounds and make valuable contacts for the future. Any training you think you should be receiving in your role or any additional training to wish to receive, just ask and Siemens will normally be more than willing to accommodate - within reason!

My graduate project initially felt very daunting, coupled with the fact that our team were spread out over the country. However, our training kicked in and we quickly learned to adapt and work around these areas utilising methods of communication that enabled us to produce a successful project.

Graduate scheme: September 2005 – September 2007
Current role: Systems Engineer

I graduated in 2005 with a degree in Multimedia Communications from Bournemouth University and I was particularly attracted to Siemens because the company seemed very keen to develop my skill set.

Being a large organisation, I liked the ability to move around within the company in order to try a new role if I wanted to. The graduate scheme was appealing because the role I applied for had little to do with the field my degree was in, and by joining I was able to learn about the job as time went on.

As a Graduate Systems Engineer, I was expected to learn about the various systems and products that we supply to our customers, and was given the responsibility to visit these customers, install the systems for them and give them a brief demonstration of how they work. During my first year I mainly worked with RMS, Prefect, Telscan, and JTMS (Jouney Time Measurement System).

During my second year I furthered my knowledge of these systems to the point where I was able to order the relevant equipment, configure the programs and provide some after-sales assistance. Also in my second year I was selected to work on the Western Extension Zone of the Congestion Charge in London, and I preformed many duties to assist in the completion of this project, including research, diagrams, trials and data input.

My colleagues were always willing to explain any new task given to me, and showed lots of patience. Whilst I was given very 'real' work to go from the first month, the support was excellent and I was able to shadow for a number of installations to see the process and interaction that we have with the customer. This enabled me to quickly understand the level of excellence we endeavour to provide to our customers.

The main difference from my role as a graduate to that of my colleagues was the Graduate Development Programme - nine lots of two day units that focused on different skills such as communication, presentation and writing, spread out over the two year period. I was also given the opportunity to work in other departments for a small duration in order to gain experience and see if there would be any other role I might like to work in.

Since completing the graduate scheme and the intensity of the London based work, I have moved full time over to focus on this area. Whist still considered a Systems Engineer, my knowledge is now centred on the camera systems we use in congestion charging and pollution monitoring.

After I had been in the graduate role for about eight months my role changed and I was asked to become Graduate Contract Manager for the north of Scotland.

Instead of working from our depot in Glasgow, I am now required to spend most of my time between Aberdeen and Dundee. I have a team of field service engineers to manage and I am responsible for ensuring the maintenance and installations for the north of Scotland are carried out correctly, on time and to customer satisfaction.

I have attended a variety of very useful courses on the graduate scheme and been given a role as a contract manager, which is something I did not have the previous experience for and would probably not been given the chance to do, had I not been on the scheme.

After working for Siemens Traffic for two years, I had heard a lot about the graduate scheme. Everything about it appealed to me, including the training courses which are aimed at providing a broad base of skills and knowledge, the social aspect of it, the opportunity to gain more responsibilities in your role and being seen as a manager of the future.

Siemens is a vast company that is recognised worldwide, and when I saw the opportunity to work within it in the area of manufacturing which I had been training to do for years, I couldn’t let the chance slip away!

My job as a Production Engineer is to provide support and help in the manufacturing process and products. As a team we are involved in improvement activities to aid the efficiency of the production in both improvements to procedures or machinery and also in cost reductions.

Another part of my job is the introduction of new products; determining the most efficient methods and giving the design/production team guidance as necessary. I have been involved in the introduction of approximately 70 new products in manufacturing, including administering the respective training and guidance to the operators in the line. Working as a part of the team we have been able to satisfy and exceed the customer’s expectations.

The opportunity to meet and get to know other graduates from all different Siemens companies within the UK through training courses has been invaluable in being able to get a brief inside their areas of business and roles.

As with all graduates, I completed a project and it was to assess the effectiveness of the internal communication tools used throughout the company, recommending areas for improvement, and assisting in the implementation of these improvements. This work was completed with graduates from across the country and was an enjoyable experience that gave us the chance to be involved in a subject and in an area of the business which didn't relate to our engineering backgrounds. I’m glad I took the opportunity to go through the graduate scheme even though I didn’t start it straight away.